France says soldiers killed 20 jihadis in Mali near Burkina Faso

Officials say that French soldiers deployed to Mali to fight against Islamic extremists have killed at least 20 jihadis at the country's border with Burkina Faso.

French Operation Barkhane said Friday that activities carried out by soldiers from Sunday to Thursday in the Serma forest left 20 jihadis "out of combat." It said the operation began with airstrikes followed by soldiers on land, but it didn't specify how the jihadis were killed.

A resident says various Islamic extremists are active in the forest, including Macina Liberation Front members, jihadis from Burkina Faso and Islamic State group members. The resident spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

About 1,600 French soldiers are deployed in Mali as part of the larger Operation Barkhane against Islamic extremists in the Sahel region.

The previously collected information identified a new area occupied by terrorist armed groups in the Serma forest. Hence the launching of Operation Dague on May 28 with the objective of reducing it.

At nightfall, the Mirage 2000 of the Niamey hunting plot began by performing air strikes on the jihadist positions. Then Tiger attack helicopters took over.

Under the protection of the aerial group and with the support of infantry and engineers, the NH-90 Caiman TTH and Puma helicopters dropped commando groups. Quickly, the jihadist positions fell one by one.

The operation was covered by a MQ-9 Reaper UAV and by a Maritime 2 maritime patrol aircraft deployed in Niamey in recent weeks. Thanks to this system, the command center was able to have a precise evaluation of the tactical situation and thus ensure the coordination of the actions in real time.